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Seeing the life of Focalors end in a grandiose finale was nothing short of utterly heartbreaking. The course of Fontaine has been forever altered. For the better of course, as that is the reality that Focalors had sacrificed herself for, but yet there was still so much lost. Focalors was no more. It was something about that fact that irked Neuvillette’s soul. Although he had not known Focalors all too well, she was a part of Furina. It was Furina’s sacrifice as well, in more ways than the one. This realization dawned on Neuvillette and he had a thought in the back of his mind that had been nagging him ever since the prophecy had been proved false. He didn’t truly know Furina. The person he had stood beside for 500 years was, in actuality, someone he knew nothing about. He felt as if he had betrayed her. And truthfully, he did. The plan that he had agreed to and carried out may have been necessary in order to end the prophecy. It was all a part of Focalors’ plan, yet he still betrayed her. When he turned away from her in her moment of greatest need, he could not lie about the reason why. Truthfully, it was mostly him just trying his best to turn away from the achingly visible pain and fear that overtook her. It was him being selfish, he knew that, he admitted that, and he felt more ashamed and horrified than he could ever express.
Neuvillette had seen Furina on occasion when she left her house, typically on her morning grocery runs when he was getting a breath of fresh air before a full day of work. And he had seen her a few times to discuss things such as her living conditions and making sure that she had what she needed. He had also seen her when she asked about using the Opera Epiclese for that disbanding troupe’s final performance. But these meetings all felt superficial, they all felt so… distant. Someone that he knew and cared for so much for 500 years should be easier to talk to. Why was he finding himself longing and aching for her constantly, but he could hardly speak to her without feeling choked up or unsure of what to say? The times in the past that he had found himself speechless in front of her were just because of her antics that he did not know how to handle. But now it was entirely different and there were no more antics to be baffled by, as all that remained were a few slight teasing words or gestures. So why was he feeling this way? One could only guess.
When he did happen to run into Furina, he would feel a little more excited than he liked to admit. Though she had known him for 500 years and just so happened to be the best actress in all of history, he hoped his eager tone of voice wasn’t terribly noticeable. He longed to see her on stage, acting, singing, and dancing her woes away. It was certainly one excuse to see her. In the end, he had—regrettably—slipped away from the audience at the performance of the Little Oceanid to avoid attention upon administering Furina her vision. However, it seemed that no one had even realized the one that endowed her with it was indeed Neuvillette. Even to Furina herself, it was a “gift from the gods.” There was only a slight wish that she would realize it was from him. He stomped that feeling in his heart down immediately though. Perhaps it was for the best so that she didn’t harbor any kind of negative emotion towards her new possession of a vision.
Little did he know, Furina felt a pang of sadness not seeing him in the audience of her last performance. If he had been made aware of this, he would have felt all the worse. He didn’t want to be overbearing, and he even felt guilty to be seen by her. He felt that he would potentially bring up bad memories for her, so he tried to keep his distance. No matter how either of them tried to push it away, it did not stop the feelings of longing they both were feeling. It was normal, of course, because they had been by each other’s side for 5 whole centuries, and they were the only real constant in the other’s life. He only hoped that Furina didn’t despise him after all he had done, and for failing to notice that her behavior was not genuine. He may have still been a dragon adjusting to human emotions, but he was still a dragon, and should have realized something so unnatural. Unfortunately for him, she truly was the greatest actress.
Neuvillette was currently looking out over the now peaceful waters of Fontaine after his awfully long, horrendously boring, and shockingly dull day. Very soft raindrops hit the surface of the water and created ripples that vaguely reminded him of his former Archon’s eyes. He was quietly musing to himself—though moping may have been a more accurate word—and basking in the faint amber glow of the setting sun, made slightly hazy by the drizzling overcast that hung overhead all day. He found himself getting lost in the music of the gentle waves when an even softer and more beautiful melody brought him out of his thoughts as soon as it reached his ear, accompanied by a waft of lakelight lilies.
“Ah, Neuvillette? What are you doing here?”
Neuvillette jolted and looked to his left at the small figure that had appeared beside him. It was none other than the one he had been moping over. The one he had longed for yet felt embarrassingly nervous facing. He was almost more timid of Furina now than when she was his boisterous and bossy Archon. Once again, Neuvillette was at a loss for words. He cursed himself internally for never having the right words to say to her. Instead, she spoke again in her soft voice.
“Sorry, I don’t want to disturb you, I just didn’t expect to see you here.”
She cringed to herself as she put on a bit of a face again, “Ahahaha! My dear Iudex, did you perhaps know I would be coming here?”
Finally, something escaped his lips. “I… I did not know you would be coming here. But, ah… Lady Furina… Please know that you do not have to feel the pressure of acting your prior persona in front of me.”
“Ah… Haha, I guess that habit sort of rubbed off on me. Also, just Furina is fine. I’m not your Archon anymore after all!”
“Right…”
A moment of silence crept between them and Neuvillette could feel that Furina was beginning to feel uncomfortable.
“Lady- erm, Furina, I must apologize.”
Furina cocked her head slightly and gazed up at him with a puzzled expression.
“Well, it’s just that… To be entirely honest… I never can find the right words to give you that would properly express my thoughts. I feel terrible about it, because I truly desire to be someone that you do not feel uncomfortable around.”
Furina cracked a small smile as she hummed, one that was genuine and melted Neuvillette’s heart.
“You don’t have to have all the right words, Neuvillette. I think you should take that pressure off of yourself.”
“But how is that fair? I do not understand… You had so much pressure placed onto you for centuries in front of limitless, constant, calculating eyes. You always had to be perfect, and you certainly accomplished that. Why can I not find the words I want to say to you even once?”
Furina followed Neuvillette’s gaze and looked to the waters. She seemed to be at a loss for words as well, and her furrowed brow fueled Neuvillette’s impatience with himself.
“I must apologize to you properly, Furina…”
The woman in question glanced back up at him in confusion once again. “Wh-”
“We betrayed you. I betrayed you. I will not ever forgive myself for turning my back on you when you needed someone. You always needed someone, and I failed to be there or to even see that that was the case.”
“Neuvillette… It’s not your fault… It had to be that way, otherwise everyone would have…”
She cut herself off as her eyes grew watery. She brought her small, gloved hands to her face and this time, Neuvillette did not allow himself to turn away from her pain.
“The way that we did it was cruel, Furina. I am ashamed that we treated you in such a way. And… I feel disgusted with myself for all the times I embarrassed you or treated you poorly. No matter what excuse there may be, it was objectively wrong and I…”
Neuvillette halted and Furina saw potentially what was the most intense emotion she had ever seen him display on his face. It was a little jaunting to her, as she had mostly only ever seen him so serious and unaffected. This reaction was so new and foreign, yet it felt so raw and true. Perhaps, somewhere within her, Furina felt grateful that she was able to see a hidden side of him as well.
“I cannot tell you how much regret I feel. I never knew my actions could hurt you so much...”
He clenched his fist and shut his eyes tight. Furina reached out to him without much thought to hold onto his arm with light pressure, causing Neuvillette to open his eyes and catch the somber expression cast over her features.
“Neuvillette, I do not wish for you to feel such strong hatred towards yourself or your actions. I can’t bear to see you troubled over something that you truly had very little control over. I… will not lie to you and say that it didn’t hurt, but you did what was for the best. I could never hate you for that. You had so much pressure placed onto you, and you did all that you could.”
She paused and looked away with an even more sorrowful expression and quieter voice, “I wasn’t there for you or the people when you needed me, so please don’t put all of the blame on yourself. Your actions helped to save your nation, your people. So please, don’t feel regretful for that.”
Neuvillette’s eyes widened as she spoke. “Furina, how could you think such a thing about yourself after all that you have done? You were the one that saved the nation, our nation. There was nothing you could have done outside of what you were already doing. You fought for so long, and so hard, I cannot imagine the pain you must have felt when some of the citizens were dissolved. Because there was nothing more you could do.”
Furina’s hand suddenly returned to her face as she began to cry quiet tears. In a way that was almost as if she had been forcing herself to cry so silently for hundreds of years. Neuvillette noticed the quickening pace of the rain and wondered to himself if his words were ill-fitted to the situation, or if he should have worded it differently.
“The missing women… The people of Poisson… I really couldn’t save them, could I?”
“Furina there was nothing more you could have done. You did all that was in your power.”
“But t-they trusted me. I lied to them when I told them I was a god, I lied to them and made them think they could confide in me…”
“We placed our trust in the right hands. You delivered more than any other god in all of Teyvat could have. Loss happens, that is just the natural course of life. It is unfortunate, but it is not you that is to blame.”
Furina continued to cry to herself and let out a tiny gasp as Neuvillette grasped her chin and turned to face her. “Don’t be so hard on yourself, dearest Furina, for all of Fontaine is indebted to you. I feel ashamed because I frightened you so, but you have absolutely nothing to feel shame over. You sacrificed so much for the comfort of your citizens.”
“Neuvillette…” She closed her eyes and shifted herself to bury her face in his shirt. Her arms wrapped around his torso and Neuvillette felt so many waves of emotions in his heart, waves much stronger than the ones on the shores. He was amazed that he could feel so many things all at once. It was not only an unusual sight for Furina, but also for himself. His arms wrapped around her gently in return as one hand stroked the strands of her hair as soft as he could. His actions and feelings seemed contradictory… He felt nervous and reverent of her, yet he also felt the need to be as gentle as he could, like she was fragile and able to break with one wrong move.
They stayed there on the beach, embracing each other, for a long while. The sun had fully set long ago, and the glow of the moon and the many visible stars illuminated the pair rather brightly. The waves still lapped at the land but it was quieter than before because-
“Oh, the rain stopped,” Furina noted aloud and turned her eyes back up to his. A light blush formed on her cheeks as she pressed herself back against his chest. Her voice came back a bit muffled, but thankfully his draconic hearing allowed him to understand her.
“Thank you, Neuvillette. I thought that maybe you couldn’t wait to get rid of me.”
These words amazed Neuvillette and was horrified that these thoughts would so much as dare to cross her mind.
“I could never wish for that. Even as the loud and fiesty leading lady, I never hated you or wished you gone. I have always cared for you deeply, Furina. You are my soul. You are everything to me... I want nothing more than your happiness.”
Her fingers tightened in his shirt as she let out a laugh so sweet it made his heart flutter.
“You are quite the charmer, really. I don’t know what made you think you didn’t have the right words because everything you say seems absolutely perfect to me.”
He cleared his throat a bit, a blush now rising on his own face. Furina, being the expert that she was, did notice his flustered behavior that would have been unnoticeable to anyone else. It was unfair how she could read him like a book and catch everything between the lines.
“I suppose… Your honesty with me helped me realize my own thoughts a bit better. I must thank you for that,” he paused. “Actually, I must thank you for so much. For your sacrifice, for saving Fontaine, for being so selfless and enduring the pain no one should ever endure. And… for staying by my side for so long...”
She began to tear up once again and Neuvillette knew that an overcast could return at any minute.
“Yeah… I- I thank you as well for all that you have done for the nation and for me.”
Furina brought her hand to her heart and stepped back from him just enough so that he could see the resolve in her expression properly.
“I’m grateful that you’re the one I spent that time with. Even if we never got to fully know one another, you were always still there with me. I couldn’t have chosen anyone better as my Iudex and companion,” she smiled earnestly with the most gracious look within her eyes. “I forget that we are no longer leading Fontaine together, sometimes I forget that this country is no longer one I really need to protect.”
“But it will always be the nation that Furina saved and the one we lead together. I- have missed you oh so greatly at the Palais. I feel a bit ashamed to tell you this, but, it feels empty. It’s so dull and depressing without you in it. I miss my soul so much more than I could ever put into words.”
The overcast returned. He sure had a lot of mood swings, though he only begged it didn’t put Furina off. Instead, she reached up towards the back of his neck and slipped her hand graciously under his hair to touch his skin. She lowered his head to meet hers as her other hand rose to caress his cheek.
“I’ve missed you too. Neuvillette… I miss you so much. I had no idea leaving you would be so hard, and I guess I didn’t quite realize how much comfort and stability you gave me so generously. You were there for me, and not being in your presence anymore hurts so badly.”
Her breath tickled his lips as she spoke, the scent of lakelight lilies flooded his senses, and his heart ached for her. He wanted to be by her side for the rest of eternity. He wanted to know her. To learn about who she truly was, to finally see what was behind her mask. He wanted to experience her emotions, see the way she reacted to different things. What foods did she like now that she’s living on her own? Where was her favorite water from? How would she act around him if she was his friend instead of his ex-boss? He had to know more. He realized on this night that he truly could not let her go.
Under the moonlight peaking through the clouds and in the most comfortable silence, Neuvillette walked Furina back to her home. When she brought her key to her door and unlocked it, she turned back around to him with another sad look. His heart panged for the millionth time and he brought his hand to her face. He watched her as she closed her eyes and stood up as tall as she could, pressing a delicate kiss to his cheek, although it ended up being more so on his jawline because she could not quite reach as high as she thought she could. Neuvillette’s face flushed. Furina’s did as well and he couldn’t exactly tell if she was feeling elated or embarrassed, or perhaps both. He wanted to learn this new, genuine expression of hers. He acted before he could convince himself otherwise and placed a returning kiss on her lips and she gasped as she grabbed onto his arms. They embraced each other once again but broke away much more quickly than the last time out of the realization that they were still in public.
“A-ah… Um, would you like to go out for dinner?” Furina stuttered, the both of them realizing they didn’t have it in them to break away from the others’ presence just yet. Honestly, they may never.
Neuvillette suddenly felt that he had all the right words in the world.
“I would love to.”